


Entreat Me Not To Leave Thee

by WinterSky101



Category: The Last Hours Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Angst, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hopeful Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Parabatai Bond, Post-Book 1: Chain of Gold, Self-Destructive Behavior, implied/referenced suicidal ideation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:02:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29717577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterSky101/pseuds/WinterSky101
Summary: Being a grandson of Belial comes with special powers. The problem is, using said powers tends to turn one’sparabataiinto a living battery.
Relationships: James Herondale & Lucie Herondale, Matthew Fairchild & James Herondale, Matthew Fairchild & Lucie Herondale
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	Entreat Me Not To Leave Thee

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully this will be clear in the narrative, but this posits that James's powers (at their full extent) would give him power over demons that are similar to Lucie's power over ghosts. It will almost definitely end up being AU when _Chain of Iron_ comes out, but it's still potentially canon for a few days.
> 
> A slight elaboration on some of the tags (particularly the ones related to self-destructive behavior and suicidal ideation) is available in the end notes. It's a bit spoilery, but not very. If this seems like something that might be triggering to you, please take care of yourself.
> 
> The title comes from the _parabatai_ oath, which in turn comes from Ruth 1:16-17.

Lucie first noticed that Matthew looked a bit pale after James turned to shadow to pass through the locked park gate. "Are you alright?" she whispered to him as James opened the gate from the inside to let them through. "You look… peaky."

"I'm fine," Matthew assured her. At Lucie's look, he added, "If you must know, I was up late last night. I'll draw myself a Stamina rune, and I'll be quite alright after that."

"You could ask James to do it," Lucie suggested. "It would be more powerful that way."

"We needn't worry James about it," Matthew dismissed. "He has enough on his mind."

Lucie looked over at her brother, who was walking far faster than they were and hadn't seemed to notice yet. "He's been a bit… odd recently, hasn't he?"

"He's still trying to figure out how his new abilities work," Matthew replied loyally. "He's busy."

"I'm not sure learning more about his powers is a good thing," Lucie admitted. "Sometimes, when he uses them…"

Matthew's face was grim; clearly, he knew what Lucie was talking about. "Didn't Uncle Jem say he thought it would be safe?"

"James said Uncle Jem said it would be safe," Lucie corrected.

"And you think he's lying?"

"I don't know what to think." Lucie sighed. "If he can truly banish demons, and there's no negative side effects, it would be a marvelous ability. It's only, I'm not quite sure there are no negative side effects. It seems to make him act so strangely."

"We'll see," Matthew said. "Today's a bit of a test, isn't it? First time properly using his powers in real combat and all that. You and I can keep an eye on him, and we'll see if it has any ill effects."

"I suppose," Lucie agreed. "Have you spoken to anyone else about this?"

"No one. I suppose you've spoken to Cordelia about it?"

"No," Lucie admitted. "She's got enough to worry about already, especially where James is concerned. While it was only suspicions, I thought it was harmless enough not to mention it."

"Bad form, keeping secrets from your _parabatai_ ," Matthew teased, although his heart didn't seem to be in it as much as usual.

"Have you spoken to James about _your_ concerns?"

"Touché."

"It'll be alright," Lucie said, hoping it was true. "We're simply overreacting."

"Quite possibly," Matthew agreed with an attempt at his usual cheer. "We ought to hurry up. Your brother is leaving us in the dust."

It was true, so Lucie followed Matthew's example and hurried. It wouldn't do to be separated, after all, especially given that they were trying to track down a demon that had already killed at least four mundanes. There was precious little information about what sort of demon it was, so they had to be ready for anything, and that meant they ought to stay together.

"We're nearing the area where the mundanes have all been found," James said, once Lucie and Matthew caught up to him. "We ought to be ready for a fight. We still don't know what manner of demon this is."

"I'm ready," Lucie declared, reaching for a seraph blade, and her fingers had just wrapped around the hilt when something sent her flying backwards into a tree.

"Lucie!" two voices cried in unison. Lucie blinked, trying to clear her dark-spotted vision. The throw had knocked the wind out of her more than anything, and she thought she would probably be able to get back up to her feet in a moment, once she had a moment to breathe.

And then the shadows between her and James and Matthew coalesced into a demon.

_"Three little Shadowhunters. Don't you look delicious."_

Lucie scrambled for the seraph blade she'd fumbled earlier and was about to name it when James stepped forward. Lucie couldn't see him clearly with the demon in the way, but she could have sworn there was black smoke curling off him. His face was fierce and cold in a way Lucie had never seen before. Behind him, Matthew's face was drawn.

"You hurt Lucie," James said, his voice low. There was absolutely no warmth in it, no kindness at all. It made Lucie shiver to listen to. "You hurt my sister."

"James-" Matthew began, looking concerned, but James didn't seem to be listening.

"Your kind don't belong here and you know it. You should stop coming."

 _"And who's going to stop us, little Shadowhunter?"_ the demon asked, but its voice had a hint of uneasiness to it now. As little as Lucie liked the thought of feeling similarly to a demon, she had to admit she felt a bit uneasy herself.

"I am," James said simply. "I'll send you back. But first, I'll make sure you send a message."

" _James_ -" Matthew said again, sounding properly alarmed now, but James just took a step towards the demon and lifted his hand. For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath, and then James curled his fingers into a tight first, and the demon began to scream.

The sound was awful, grating and high-pitched and almost painful to hear. Lucie cringed away from it, curling in on herself and clapping her hands over her ears, until she felt someone grip her wrist.

"Lucie. Are you alright?"

It was Matthew. Up close, he looked awful, his face pale and lined. Lucie realized she hadn't actually _seen_ him apply a Stamina rune and wondered if he'd done it at all. For a moment, she wondered if he'd lied to her about having a late night and was truly drunk or hungover, but she hoped that wasn't the case. Matthew had seemed to be doing better lately, and she hated to think he was slipping back into his old habits.

"Lucie," he repeated, urgency in his voice, and Lucie startled back into awareness.

"Oh! Yes, I'm alright. Are _you_ alright?"

"I'm fine," Matthew replied, pulling out his stele. "Do you need an _iratze_?"

"Perhaps one would be good," Lucie admitted, letting Matthew take her hand and draw one on her forearm. She looked over his shoulder at James, who was still doing whatever it was he'd done to make the demon scream. "James! I'm alright! Banish the demon so we can go home!"

"Not yet," James said. His voice was so harsh as to be almost unrecognizable, and Lucie thought she saw black smoke fall from his lips as he spoke the words. She saw Matthew flinch out as he helped Lucie to her feet.

"Come on, James," Lucie pleaded, taking a step towards her brother. "Just get rid of the demon so we can leave."

"Not yet," James repeated. "Demons keep coming to our world, and I'm sick of it. I'm going to banish this one, but first, I'm going to make him a warning to any other demon who thinks to go against us."

"Haven't you already done enough?" Lucie demanded. "James, it's screaming so-"

"It's not a strong enough message yet," James said, and he raised his other hand. He clenched it into a fist to match the first, and the demon's screams redoubled.

And behind Lucie, she heard a ragged gasp.

She whirled around to see Matthew clutching at his chest, his breathing rattling awfully. "Matthew?" she asked dumbly. "Math, are you-"

Matthew dropped to his knees, eyes wide. His breaths were loud and rasping, but it didn't sound like he was actually properly _breathing_. He was still clutching his chest, right over his heart, like it hurt.

"James!" Lucie screamed. "James, help, _help_ -"

But James didn't seem to hear her, so Lucie turned her focus on Matthew, kneeling next to him. "Matthew, what is it? Did the demon scratch you or something? Do you need an _iratze_?"

Matthew began to fall to his side, and Lucie quickly caught him, letting him crumple into her lap, shaking and gasping. "James," she cried again, "please, I need your help-"

And then she noticed that Matthew's left forearm seemed to be smoking.

Quickly, Lucie yanked at his gear, pulling it up to reveal his arm. She'd been expecting to see a wound, but instead, all she saw was Matthew's _parabatai_ rune. It was smoking faintly, just like James, and in a rush of horror, Lucie realized what was going on.

"James! James, you have to stop, it's killing Matthew!"

The demon's screams abruptly cut off, and in Lucie's lap, Matthew went entirely still. James turned, his eyes wide, and they only went wider when he saw what was happening behind him. "Matthew," he breathed. "No, no, Matthew-"

For a moment, it looked like the demon might recover from whatever James had been doing to it, but quickly Lucie grabbed her seraph blade, named it _"Raguel,"_ and hurled it into the demon's chest. It melted into nothingness immediately, but James hardly seemed to notice; he'd rushed right to Lucie's side and was frantically drawing an _iratze_ on Matthew's arm. "Math," he babbled as he did so, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't know, wake up, please, _please_ -"

"His breathing seems more regular than it did before," Lucie reported, trying to stay calm. "And his heart is beating."

"I didn't know," James whispered. "I swear, Lucie, I didn't know what it did to him. If I'd known-"

"I know, James." Lucie ran a hand through Matthew's golden hair, wishing he were awake to tease her as she did it. "We should bring him to the Institute."

"I'll carry him," James offered immediately, gently lifting Matthew out of Lucie's lap. Lucie felt her heart twist at how limp he was. "Can you give me a Swift rune?"

"Of course," Lucie agreed, sketching the rune quickly across James's hand. "I'll be right behind you."

James nodded, then he took off. Lucie retrieved her seraph blade, drew a Swift rune on herself, and then she started running.

* * *

Lucie arrived at the Institute a few minutes after her brother. She raced through the halls, skidding into the infirmary just in time to see James lay Matthew down on a bed.

"Papa's calling Uncle Jem," James said as he pulled Matthew's shoes off. "Mam went to get something, she should be back in a minute."

"Did he wake at all?" Lucie asked, tucking Matthew under the blanket and sitting by his side.

"Not at all." James looked almost as drawn as Matthew had, back in the park. "I'll never use those powers again."

"You didn't know."

"I should have," James retorted. "He would act strangely every time I practiced, but I didn't realize it was doing _this_ to him. I thought he was just worried about me."

"Do you think he knew?" Lucie asked, her stomach dropping sickeningly.

"Matthew is cleverer than anyone gives him credit for. He probably did."

"Why didn't he _tell_ anyone?" Lucie cried. "If he knew your powers drained him like this, why didn't he tell you?"

"Jem is on his way," Will reported as he entered the infirmary, Tessa right behind him. "Can you tell us everything that happened? So we know how to help him?"

"I almost killed my own _parabatai_ ," James said, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. "That's what happened."

"I'm sure there's more to it than that," Tessa said soothingly. She had a small basin of water and a cloth, and as she sat on Matthew's other side, she carefully began to sponge his brow.

"Is he feverish?" Lucie asked worriedly.

"He's a bit warmer than he should be, but not much," Tessa replied. "This is more to soothe him than anything else." She brushed Matthew's hair away from his face. "We ought to send a message to Charlotte and Henry."

"Already done," Will replied, dragging over chairs for himself and James. "Now, James, will you tell us what actually happened, or must we rely on Lucie's storytelling skills?"

James sat in one of the chairs, his face still like a man condemned. Will sat in the other, then declared, "Come now, which of my children will tell me what happened?"

"James was going to test his powers tonight," Lucie began, once it became clear James wasn't going to speak. "Uncle Jem thought he was ready. And his powers worked, but… It drains Matthew, when he uses them. I think the powers use the _parabatai_ bond to turn Matthew into a sort of human battery. The more James used his powers, the more it seemed to affect Matthew."

"So the powers drained him until he collapsed?" Tessa asked.

"The demon hurt Lucie," James said, and there was a hint of the same cold rage that had been in his voice before.

Both Will and Tessa looked at Lucie with alarm, and she quickly added, "I'm alright. It wasn't much, and Matthew already gave me an _iratze_."

"I- I lost control," James continued. "Sometimes the powers make me… angry. When Lucie was hurt… I wanted to make the demon hurt too."

"At first, Matthew seemed mostly alright," Lucie added. "But then, when James started…"

"I was torturing the demon," James said flatly. "You don't need to dance around it."

"James started using more power, and suddenly…" Lucie's voice trailed off. She wasn't sure how to put into words what had happened to Matthew, and even if she could, she didn't want to say it. She didn't want to think back on how afraid he'd looked, how pained-

But her parents needed to know, and she was the only one who had seen it.

"Matthew started clutching his chest and gasping," Lucie said, trying to keep her voice from shaking too badly. "It seemed as if he couldn't quite breathe. He collapsed. I… I think he was in pain. But once James stopped using his powers, he seemed to be alright again."

"Except he hasn't woken up," James said sharply. "We don't know if he's alright or not."

"His pulse feels regular," Tessa reported, her fingers on Matthew's wrist. "And he seems to be breathing normally as well. If the power was draining him, I would guess he's simply exhausted."

 _I will see to him,_ a voice echoed in their minds, and Lucie looked up to see Uncle Jem enter the infirmary. _Will, Charlotte's carriage was just reaching the drive when I arrived._

"I'll go see to her, then," Will said, standing. Lucie was fairly certain she saw him quickly squeeze Jem's hand as he passed, then he left the infirmary.

"Can I be of any help here, or will I just get in the way?" Tessa asked, setting the basin and cloth on the table next to the bed.

_I will not ask you to leave, but if you wish to go, you may._

"I'll go with Will, then," Tessa said, standing. "Thank you for coming so quickly, Jem."

_Of course._

"Lucie, do you want to come with me or stay here?" Tessa asked. "Or you could go rest, if you'd rather."

Lucie looked at James, who was still sitting by the foot of Matthew's bed and looking at him like he thought Matthew might disappear if he drew his eyes away. "I'll stay," she decided. She turned to Jem and added, "If I won't be in your way."

_You will not._

Tessa left the room, and Lucie thought she also took Jem's hand on the way out. She put that from her mind as Jem walked up to Matthew's bedside and put a hand on his forehead, hooded head bent forward.

_Tell me what happened._

"It's my powers," James said, his voice shaking. "I- I used them tonight."

"They seem to drain Matthew," Lucie added. "They take energy from him through the _parabatai_ bond. James was… smoking, and Matthew's _parabatai_ rune began to smoke as well."

 _I believe your mother is right,_ Jem reported, taking his hand away from Matthew's forehead. _He is simply exhausted. I will stay for now, to monitor him, and to check on him when he wakes._

"Do you think he'll be alright?" Lucie asked tentatively.

Jem nodded. _I do._

The doors to the infirmary opened, and Charlotte and Henry rushed over to Matthew, Will and Tessa walking behind them. "Oh, my darling," Charlotte breathed, stroking a hand over Matthew's hair. "My darling boy."

"Is he alright, Jem?" Henry asked, wheeling his Bath chair to his son's side.

 _I believe him to simply be exhausted, nothing more,_ Jem told him. _But as I told the children, I will stay until he wakes, to be sure._

"Thank you," Charlotte said, sitting down and reaching for Matthew's hand. "Oh, my dear boy."

"I'm sorry," James whispered, his voice choked. "This is all my fault."

"Oh, no, James, it isn't," Charlotte assured him immediately. "You didn't know. No one did."

"I still did this," James countered. "It is my fault. If I'd been more careful… If I'd paid more attention…"

 _None of us knew how your powers affected your_ parabatai _,_ Jem said. _If he knew, he was careful to hide it. And I do not believe there to be any real harm done._

"It was hurting him!" James protested. "If I hadn't stopped in time, it could have killed him!"

"But James, the second I told you what was happening, you stopped," Lucie countered. "Once you knew-"

"And what if you hadn't figured it out?" James cried. "What if it had taken you a few more minutes? What if-"

Will walked up to James, tugged him upright, and pulled him into a tight hug. For a moment, James fought him, then he went boneless against his father, letting Will hold him tightly.

"I know what it feels like to have your _parabatai_ hurt, and to feel you were at fault," Will said quietly. Lucie didn't think she was the only one who shot a quick look at Jem. "I know what it feels like to watch your _parabatai_ sleep and wonder what state he'll be in when he wakes. It is terrifying. It is awful. I know this. But James, it will be alright. Matthew will be alright. And this was not your fault."

James sobbed, and Will rocked him gently like he used to do when they were children. Tessa watched them for a moment, then she went over to Lucie and put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Come on, darling, let's get you freshened up. You look like you could use something to drink, at the very least."

Lucie stood, but hesitated before she left. "Will you tell us when Matthew wakes?"

 _I will tell you immediately,_ Jem promised.

With the promise secured, Lucie allowed her mother to lead her out of the infirmary and into the library. Tessa poured two glasses of water from a carafe on the table and pressed one into Lucie's hands as they sat on the sofa.

"Are you alright? What did the demon do to you?"

"It threw me into a tree," Lucie admitted. "But I was mostly just winded. And Matthew gave me an _iratze_." She looked down at her glass of water. "I'm worried about him more than anything else."

"Matthew will be alright," Tessa said gently, wrapping an arm around Lucie's shoulders. "He's a strong boy. He'll probably appreciate all the fuss."

"He won't," Lucie disagreed. "Not if it's about something serious. Matthew only ever wants people to fuss over him about little things. He never tells anyone about the big things."

"Well, I think he'll have to survive some fussing about something serious this time," Tessa said firmly. "For now, though, do you want me to fuss over you a bit? Are you hungry?"

"I'm alright, Mam," Lucie assured her mother. "Truly."

"Are you sure?" Tessa asked. She looked at Lucie with concern, more than Lucie thought her situation actually warranted, and suddenly Lucie realized that her mother _needed_ to fuss over her. She needed to help Lucie, because she couldn't help Matthew and she couldn't help James. Tessa had never been very good at waiting around when people were in danger.

"Actually," Lucie said slowly, "I am a bit hungry."

"I'll have Bridget fix something up," Tessa said immediately. "Wait here, I'll be right back."

Lucie sipped from her water as Tessa left the library, glad her hands seemed to have finally stopped shaking. She still couldn't quite dismiss the mental image of Matthew in her lap, gasping in pain, but at least now she wasn't dealing with it alone. There were adults here, parents who could help. Uncle Jem had said he thought Matthew would be alright, and he'd promised to call Lucie in the second he woke. Everything would be alright.

At least, Lucie hoped it would be.

* * *

Lucie was dozing in the library, a half-eaten sandwich on the table beside her, when she heard Jem's voice echo in her mind: _He's awake._

Tessa, who had been reading aloud, stopped suddenly and looked over at Lucie, apparently having received the same message. "Oh, thank goodness," she sighed, offering Lucie a hand to pull herself upright. "Shall we go see him?"

"Right away," Lucie agreed, and it was only through summoning up every scrap of willpower and decorum that she restrained from sprinting through the halls.

Matthew was propped upright a bit on the pillows, awake but still looking somewhat pale and washed out. Charlotte was fussing over him, and he looked faintly uncomfortable with the whole thing.

"I'm alright, really," he was assuring her. "Uncle Jem said there's nothing really wrong, didn't he?"

 _I said there didn't seem to be any damage,_ Jem corrected. _We still have to discuss what occurred._

Matthew was normally so good at making himself look at ease no matter what the situation, but he must have been too tired to try tonight, because he looked like he might squirm out of his own skin. "It was nothing serious. I'm alright, aren't I?"

"Did you know?" James asked. He looked almost as awful as Matthew did, with a pale face and red-rimmed eyes. "Did you know what my powers would do to you?"

Matthew avoided James's eyes. "I'm _fine_."

"Maybe we should give the boys a minute alone," Will suggested. "I think they have some things they need to discuss."

Charlotte looked like she was going to protest, but Henry took her hand. "Come on, darling," he murmured. "We'll come back and fetch him after."

"Jem?" Will asked.

 _I will need to return to finish checking over Matthew, but it can wait a few minutes,_ Jem replied, gliding towards the door. The others all followed, but Lucie hesitated.

"Lucie-" Will began, but before he could urge her to leave, Matthew called out, "She can stay."

Will, James, and Lucie all turned to Matthew. "She was there, wasn't she?" Matthew asked, looking a bit defensive. "She can stay."

"James?" Will asked.

James looked at Matthew for a long moment, then at Lucie. "She can stay," he finally agreed.

Will nodded, then he squeezed Lucie's shoulder lightly and left with the other adults, closing the doors behind him. Lucie went over to Matthew's bed and sat down beside it, trying to smile at him.

"I'm glad to see you alright. You frightened us all terribly."

"I'm glad to see _you_ alright," Matthew replied. "No lingering damage from the demon, then?"

"Nothing your _iratze_ didn't clear up."

"Did you know?" James asked again. "Matthew. Tell me."

Matthew closed his eyes. "I didn't know how bad it would be," he said slowly.

"What did you know?" Lucie urged. She tried to keep her voice gentle, even as her stomach twisted.

Matthew kept his eyes shut. "I felt tired whenever James used his powers. I felt them tugging at me. But it wasn't too bad. I didn't think it would be a problem." He opened his eyes slowly, his dark green seeking James's gold. "If I'd thought it would keep me from being able to have your back, I would have said something."

"I don't care about you having my back!" James cried. "I care about you not collapsing because I've drained you dry like some sort of vampire! I care about you being alright, Matthew! If you knew it affected you, why didn't you _say_ anything?"

"I didn't think it was serious!" Matthew repeated. "And if you could banish demons, if you could get rid of them without anyone needing to fight and get hurt, then _it would be worth it_."

"It could have killed you!"

"It would be worth it!"

James went white, recoiling back like he'd been shot. Matthew pressed his lips together in a thin line. Lucie wasn't sure he'd really intended to say what he did out loud, but she was fairly certain he meant it.

"It wouldn't be worth it to us," Lucie said quietly, reaching for Matthew's hand. She gave it a gentle squeeze, pretending she couldn't feel how it shook slightly. "You're not an acceptable sacrifice, Math."

For a long moment, Matthew was silent. Part of Lucie feared he'd disagree with her, or try to convince her she ought to allow him to sacrifice himself after all. She could see the tension in James's posture, and she honestly wasn't sure what he'd do in response.

But Matthew didn't try to defend his decisions; instead, his shoulders slumped, and he offered James and Lucie a small, wry smile. "I should have known you two would fret like this."

"Of course we would," Lucie agreed, relaxing. "We love you, Matthew. We won't sit idly by while something hurts you, even if that something is you yourself."

Matthew's eyebrows raised. "Is that a threat?"

"If it has to be," James said. "You're my _parabatai_ , Matthew. Don't be so quick to try to leave me."

Matthew flinched slightly, then sighed. "Well, if you put it that way, I suppose I'll have to do as you say."

"Exactly," James agreed. "You do. And the first thing I'm demanding is that you be _honest_ with me. If anything like this ever happens again, you must tell me. Of course, I won't be using my powers anymore-"

"You won't be using your powers?" Matthew interrupted. "But if we could figure them out-"

"It's not worth the risk," James said firmly.

"Come now, haven't we just gone through this?" Lucie added.

"Yes, but I thought-" At the looks from both Herondale children, Matthew subsided. "Very well."

"Do you promise to tell me if anything like this happens again, though?" James asked. "Powers or no powers?"

Matthew nodded. "I promise."

"Swear on our _parabatai_ bond?"

"Goodness, you're serious. Fine, I swear on our bond."

James nodded once, apparently satisfied. Lucie didn't feel entirely satisfied herself - while Matthew now was bound to be honest with James, he had no such binding to make him be honest with _her_ \- but she'd accept it for now.

"Children?" a voice asked, and all three turned to see Will's head poking in through a gap in the infirmary doors. "Are you three alright in here? Only, Charlotte is rather having kittens out here, and- Ouch!"

James and Matthew shared one of their _parabatai_ looks, the sort that made it seem like they'd almost forgotten there was anyone else in the room with them. "You can come back in," James called. "We've settled things."

The doors opened, and the adults came spilling back in. "Glad to hear it," Will said. "I'm also glad to be out of Charlotte's reach, because that woman is _vicious_ with her-"

"Will, darling, maybe don't," Tessa suggested as Charlotte gave Will a filthy look.

"Can I go home, then, Uncle Jem?" Matthew asked. Lucie wasn't sure if it was because he'd settled things with James or just because he'd had a bit of time to collect himself, but he'd regained his unruffled mask. "Not that I don't appreciate your hospitality, Will, Tessa, but I'd rather like to change into something a bit more comfortable than gear before I go to bed properly."

 _You seem to be recovering well,_ Jem declared. _You may return home, but if your condition changes at all, alert someone immediately._

"We'll keep an eye on him," Charlotte promised.

"And Math will tell us if anything's wrong, won't you, Math?" James added, giving Matthew a hard look.

"Yes, yes, I'll tell you," Matthew sighed. "You needn't worry about it, James, you've already thoroughly beaten me on that point."

"We're worried about you, and we want to make sure you're alright," Lucie said. "You'll simply have to learn to live with it."

Matthew rolled his eyes, but Lucie was fairly certain there was a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Will I, now?"

"There are worse things to have to live with," Will said. "And Math, my children are uncommonly stubborn. You won't win this fight, I can promise you that."

"I probably won't," Matthew agreed.

"He should stop fighting it at all, then," Lucie said primly, to general amusement.

"Sometimes your children do remind me so much of you, Will," Charlotte remarked. "I believe that's karma."

"I beg your pardon, I was a delightful child," Will protested. "And my children are equally delightful."

"Our children are delightful," Tessa agreed. "But you were an awful terror at their age and you know it."

"Betrayed by my own beloved wife!" Will cried, sinking into the closest chair. "Jem, defend me."

_I imagine you were not always the easiest child for Charlotte to raise._

"Betrayal all around!"

"I think we'll take Matthew home now," Charlotte declared. "Tessa, Jem, as always, I'm sorry you have to deal with Will, but I suppose both of you _did_ choose this of your own free will."

Will made an inarticulate noise of frustration as James helped Matthew to his feet. Lucie darted around to his side to kiss his cheek.

"Take care of yourself, alright?"

"And if I don't, you two will do it for me?"

"Exactly," James said with a small smile, looking almost back to normal for the first time that night.

Matthew leaned slightly on Henry's Bath chair as they slowly left the Institute, the Herondales trailing after them. It wasn't until the carriage fully left the drive that they all filed back into the building.

 _I should return to the Silent City,_ Jem said, a slight thread of regret in his voice. _James, I will return sometime in the next few days to discuss your powers again._

"Alright," James agreed, more easily than Lucie had expected. The talk with Matthew seemed to have settled him a great deal.

"Let us see you out," Tessa said, taking Jem's arm. Will went to his other side, slinging an arm around his shoulders. Lucie knew better than to stick around when her parents were acting like _that_ , so she let them go without following. James did the same, and Lucie took the opportunity to study her brother. He seemed much more relaxed than he had before, and he seemed to be at peace with himself again.

Smiling, Lucie bumped James's hip with her own. Her brother looked down at her, eyebrows raised.

"What was that for?"

"Oh, nothing," Lucie replied. "Race you upstairs?"

They hadn't raced each other around the Institute since they were children, but James still smiled and nodded.

"Ready, set-"

"Go!" Lucie cried, taking off.

Behind her, she could hear her brother laugh as he started running behind her. She was glad to hear it. Earlier, she'd worried James would never laugh again. She'd worried _she_ would never laugh again. The next time she saw Matthew, she decided, she'd need to give him a proper hug. And maybe, eventually, he'd start taking care of himself for his own sake.

Until then, though, Lucie and James would have to make him take care of himself, and Lucie thought they were up to the task.

**Author's Note:**

> The promised elaboration on some of the tags: Matthew is not in a good mental place in this fic, and he is ready and willing to sacrifice his life for others in a situation that doesn't really require his sacrifice. By the end, James and Lucie are aware of this and ready to help him work on his mental health.
> 
> My writing tumblr is [here](http://winterskywrites.tumblr.com/), if you're interested.


End file.
